Hark Labs Aims to Redefine AI Interaction with Hardware-Software Synergy
A new AI lab, Hark, founded by serial entrepreneur Brett Adcock, is pursuing a novel approach to artificial intelligence development – a tightly integrated design process encompassing both model-building and hardware. The company aims to create a “seamless end-to-end personal intelligence product” that anticipates user needs and adapts in real-time, moving beyond the limitations of current AI systems.
From iPhone Design to AI Interfaces
Hark’s strategy hinges on the expertise of Abidur Chowdhury, formerly an industrial designer at Apple, where he led the design team behind recent models like the iPhone Air. Gizmodo reports Chowdhury left Apple last fall after being convinced by Adcock’s vision for a more intuitive and automated user experience.
Beyond Apps: Embedding Intelligence at the Core
Chowdhury emphasizes a shift in approach, stating the current AI landscape treats intelligence as an add-on to existing platforms. “Very few people are really going after what the future is,” he told TechCrunch. “There’s so much that we could be doing if intelligence was at the base layer of everything we touched instead of becoming an app or a website at that upper layer.”
Addressing Everyday Frustrations
Hark is targeting the inefficiencies and frustrations of daily tasks – from filling out forms to planning complex events – with the goal of automating these processes. Chowdhury highlighted the time and mental energy consumed by such tasks, envisioning a future where they are seamlessly handled by AI.
A Rejection of Current Wearable AI Trends
Despite the growing interest in wearable AI devices, Chowdhury expressed skepticism. He voiced discomfort with interfaces that create a barrier between users and the physical world, specifically mentioning concerns about glasses and pin-based systems.
Synergy with Figure Robotics
Hark’s efforts are connected to Adcock’s other venture, Figure, a humanoid robotics company. Hark’s AI models are currently being trained using data from Figure’s robots, although the specific nature of this collaboration remains undisclosed.
Investment and Infrastructure
Backed by $100 million in seed funding from Adcock, Hark is building a team of 45 engineers and designers, including former researchers from Meta AI and designers from Apple and Tesla. The company is preparing to deploy a new cluster of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs in April to support its model training efforts.
Looking Ahead: A New Era of AI Interaction
Hark anticipates releasing its first AI models this summer. The company’s approach reflects a broader industry search for the “killer app” that will integrate AI seamlessly into daily life, addressing growing user frustration with existing AI solutions. As Chowdhury stated, “I’ve not felt like that since the iPhone came up.”
2026 Predictions: The Rise of Physical AI
Brett Adcock, on LinkedIn, predicts that in 2026, physical AI will transition from lab demonstrations to real-world applications, with humanoid robots performing unsupervised tasks in unfamiliar environments. He also forecasts a shift towards highly multimodal AI systems and voice agents with persistent memory.